Four from East of England feature on New Year Honours List
They be all be receiving British Empire Medals for their years of service
Four people from across the East of England have made it onto the New Years Honours List.
They be all be receiving British Empire Medals (BEM) for their years of service.
The full list of the recipients from Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex is below:
Norfolk:
Edwin Luckin is 93 years old and from Cromer
He's the Boathouse Manager at the RNLI Cromer Lifeboat Station and is being awarded for services to Maritime Safety.
● He initially started as the station’s maintenance mechanic and tractor driver, responsible for launching and recovering the lifeboat before being made Senior Helmsman of the town’s new inshore lifeboat in 1963 during which he is credited with saving many lives.
● Since retiring from active service a few years ago, he has taken on the role of Boathouse Manager.
● He is reliably on station twice a week making sure it is kept to the highest standards for crew and visitors, always offering a friendly, supportive ear to make everyone feel at home.
● Whilst he wasn’t able to keep up the frequency of these visits during C19, he continued to regularly meet members and kept in touch with retired crew and their dependants, along with organising Christmas hampers and, sadly, helping get them to the funerals of former crew members.
● He is Treasurer of the crew fund, a task he carries out with scrupulous attention to detail.
● In 2020, he was presented with his 60 years’ Long Service Award, an accolade bestowed on very few RNLI volunteers.
Suffolk:
Eric Hopes is 90 years old and from Bury St Edmunds
He is a police Support Volunteer at Suffolk Constabulary and is being recognised for his services to Policing.
● Despite pandemic-related restrictions, he has steadfastly continued to obtain and add to the ever-growing artefacts of Suffolk’s Police Museum.
● He has met with families who have traced their ancestor’s history to members of the constabulary and conducts a private tour of the museum for them, ensuring their loved one’s career within the force is highlighted.
● He often attends the home of recently deceased police officers, meeting their families and pledging to ensure their loved one’s memory is recorded within the museum, either with a photograph or a piece of their kit or equipment.
● He manages a small team of volunteers to ensure displays are maintained and updated to guarantee visitors experience a fantastic display and insight into the history of Suffolk constabulary on each visit.
● To encourage a wider audience, he introduced museum tours to the local community, bringing police cadets, other Suffolk youth groups and members of diverse and hard-to-reach communities to visit the museum.
Essex:
Denise Whiffin is 71 years old and from Chelmsford.
She is the founder of J's Hospice and is being awarded for services to Young People.
● She created the region's first-ever hospice service for 16-40-year olds, in memory of her son, Jonathan, who was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the age of three.
● The J's Hospice operates across Essex and beyond, providing respite care, home services and life improvements, making a significant impact to patients' lives.
● J’s Hospice provides specialist care, in the comfort and security of patients' own homes, for young people with life-limiting conditions. Services provided by the hospice include nursing and end-of-life care, psycho-social care and bereavement support.
● She set up the J's Young Adult Group which allows young people time away from carers to socialise with others their own age, whilst enabling parents to have quality time together.
● In 2013, she received an honorary degree from Anglia Ruskin University and Pride of Essex award.
● In 2014, her exceptional voluntary service was recognised by Prime Minister David Cameron with a Points of Light award.
● In 2021, she was awarded a League of Mercy medal.
Angela Clarke is 58 year old and from Grays
She is the Chief Executive Officer of RAFFA International Development Agency.
She is being recognised for services to the Windrush Generation.
● She is a full-time psychologist and psychotherapist in the healthcare system.
● She worked formally with the Home Office Engagement Team as an ambassador linking directly with local communities and helping break down the myths which surround Windrush schemes.
● By using her Regional Advancement Financial Freedom Autonomy (RAFFA) position, she afforded the Home Office Engagement Team opportunities to directly meet affected individuals from Church communities across the UK.
● She also advocates on behalf of both communities and individuals, and has been key to supporting several individuals through their Windrush journey to receive status confirmation and compensation.
● In her roles as Chair of the British Association of Counselling Psychotherapy Healthcare Executive and a Regional Safeguarding Consultant, she advises on the Home Office Vulnerability Advisory Group which aims to mitigate the potential impact of the new immigration system on vulnerable individuals.
● She is part of the Windrush Engagement Forum and provides advice in supporting ongoing engagement activities at a strategic and local level.